The system that we teach in is inherently homophobic, transphobic, biphobic, and oppressive towards queer and trans people. The system stems from a long history of excluding and harassing people who do not fit the mould of a straight cis-gendered person. It is so important that, especially in today’s society, we are consistently moving towards a more accepting and inclusive way of teaching that allows for all students to succeed. One of the ways that we as teachers can begin to address the problems with our system of teaching is by noticing when heteronormative assumptions are being made, such as assuming all students are straight or have straight parents. By noticing when these assumptions are being made, we can actively avoid using and promoting them in our classrooms, whether it is with our own actions or sources we use in class. In “Deeping the Discussion,” they mention some examples of ways heterosexual privilege is recognized in schools:

  • “assuming that students and their families are heterosexual;
  • lacking policy to support students who are, or who are perceived to be, gender or sexually diverse;
  • and, reinforcing heterosexism in curriculum, teaching (e.g., avoiding resources that depict same-sex families), environments, expectations, policies and laws by excluding the needs, concerns and life experiences of students and/or their families who are gender and sexually diverse” (p. 17).

By acknowledging these things and putting supports in place to help gender or sexually diverse students, it can help lessen the heteronormative assumptions that teachers and students can have, and the heterosexual privilege in the classroom.

To me, integrating queerness into curriculum studies means recognizing our own biases and privilege that have come from our previous education, and working to raise the voices of those that are excluded and discriminated against by listening to what they have to say. This can be done by ways that I mentioned in the previous paragraph, such as using videos and reading materials from queer authors that focus on queer topics. It also means incorporating it into everyday life in the classroom with visuals like posters or flags. It should become something that is not seen as out of the ordinary.

In my opinion, it is extremely important to provide the duty of care for all students, rather than maintain a classroom free from any notion of sexuality. When kids are young, they are just figuring themselves out and if they do not have someone there to guide them and provide support for them it can cause them to feel alone and completely lost. I believe all students should be able to learn about sexuality and identity because it is important to provide students with all the knowledge they need to make decisions about themselves. No student should ever feel wrong for speaking out about their sexuality because it is a part of them. Educating students can help create a safe space for all students where they feel they can express themselves freely as they grow and learn more about themselves. Keeping a classroom free of sexuality would simply create a space where students feel silenced and neglected and it is a teacher’s responsibility to make sure a student always feels welcome and accepted in life.